Ottawa and Alberta in formal talks to reset relationship after years of acrimony

David Thurton · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 7

The Alberta and national governments are successful negotiations to motion a large accord that could reset their relationship. 

Both sides person said the purpose of the talks is to motion a ceremonial memorandum of knowing (MOU). The Alberta premier’s bureau has said they anticipation to ink the woody earlier the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup connected Nov. 16.

The narration betwixt the national authorities and the state has agelong been acrimonious, but it had turned toxic for astir a decade.

Successive Alberta governments blamed the policies of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for poisoning relations including changes to the interaction appraisal legislation, a prohibition connected lipid tankers connected B.C.’s bluish coast, net-zero energy regulations and draught regulations for an lipid and state emissions cap.

The Alberta premier's bureau and a elder national authorities root confirmed talks are underway with the extremity of ironing retired a woody that could reset the relationship.

High-stakes talks

The talks are truthful precocious stakes, ministers and sources are reluctant to remark astir the authorities of negotiations, conscious 1 atrocious determination successful nationalist could torpedo discussions. 

Even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her situation minister, Rebecca Schulz, who are usually speedy to leap connected immoderate clime argumentation announcement from the national government, were soundless connected societal media oregon remained guarded successful their comments aft the Carney authorities outlined its clime strategy successful the budget.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks connected invoking her government’s sovereignty enactment implicit national cleanable vigor regulations, on with Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz, successful 2023. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press)

The promised Climate Competitiveness Strategy reaffirmed the Carney government’s committedness to immoderate emissions-reduction policies which person stoked the choler of the Alberta authorities — the enhanced methane regulations and the cleanable energy regulations.

While the strategy did not perpetrate to scrapping the lipid and state emissions headdress outright, it placed conditions which if implemented would marque the arguable argumentation unnecessary. 

That criteria included: deploying c seizure exertion astatine standard and bolstering the concern c pricing authorities which regulates c contamination from the lipid spot and different ample industries. 

Smith did merchandise a connection Tuesday evening, but notably the Alberta premier withheld judgement until she said negotiations with the Carney authorities are concluded by mid-November.

“We volition past person a overmuch amended thought regarding whether oregon not the existent national authorities is superior astir repealing oregon overhauling the assorted policies and laws that person devastated Alberta’s system implicit the past decennary and enactment the precise stableness of Albertan’s energy grid astatine existential risk,” Smith’s connection read.

A Smith spokesperson referred CBC News to a erstwhile connection wherever the premier said that some parties are moving toward an statement with the national authorities that includes either the “the removal, carve-out oregon overhaul” of national clime policies Alberta has opposed. 

It besides mentions that the Alberta authorities is moving guardant arsenic the proponent connected a bitumen pipeline to British Columbia’s bluish coast. As portion of that process it intends to marque an exertion done the national Major Projects Office.

A expansive bargain?

Shannon Joseph, a Calgary-based advocator for earthy gas, hopes the November statement is simply a motion of a caller era. Joseph notes some Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney are connected the aforesaid leafage arsenic they talk astir boosting concern and Canada becoming an vigor superpower.  

“For the archetypal clip determination is an alignment and knowing that Canada's system is successful trouble,” said Joseph, seat of Energy for a Secure Future. “We request to pull investment. We request to physique much infrastructure. And some Ottawa and Alberta are saying the aforesaid thing.”

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Oliver Anderson, who worked intimately with the erstwhile national situation and clime alteration minister, is skeptical astir the chances of a breakthrough. 

Anderson said Alberta’s blimpish authorities “has built its marque connected opposing national cleanable vigor policy” and they volition “always beryllium blessed to autumn close backmost into warring posture.”

“It’s hard to ideate determination are immoderate good-faith negotiations underway. More likely, we’re witnessing hold tactics and a bid to extract maximum concessions from a national authorities inactive trying to marque collaboration work."

Carney is seen with the premiers successful June. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press)

If negotiations bash succeed, though, it would beryllium a large breakthrough for some levels of authorities that person spent a important portion of their relationship, adjacent earlier the Trudeau government, successful conflict.

As Smith said aft she and her chap premiers met with Carney successful June, determination is simply a “grand bargain” to beryllium had.